Editorial: Bill for special education is hefty

Special education may be the next battleground in the funding wars over public schools in Jackson County. Officials with the Jackson County Intermediate School District are warning local schools that spending cuts could be on the way this year.

While local educators will wrestle with this funding gap — its size will become clear in the next few months — the problem starts in Washington and Lansing.

Special education is tremendously expensive — $43 million in Jackson County — not the least because of government mandates that inflate its cost.

Some students must receive individual aides, or they must be taught in a classroom setting instead of receiving therapy that’s more appropriate to their disability. Michigan raises the bar by requiring special-education students receive public education through age 26, compared to the age requirement of 21 set by federal law.

All of these requirements are well-intentioned, but there’s a bill to pay. The bill, we might add, is not being paid fully by the state and federal governments.

The clearest example of this shortcoming is the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: It was supposed to pay 40 percent of special-ed costs for local schools. By most estimates, Washington pays for less than half of that.

There’s still plenty that local educators can and should do. Jackson County’s ISD pays 98 or 99 cents of every dollar that local school districts spend--among the highest in Michigan. The ISD and local superintendents will have to work to find spare dollars and make sure that special education is being run efficiently.

If anyone wants to really address the situation, it will require getting through to the state and national Capitol buildings. Schools shouldn’t expect a handout, but they shouldn’t be asked to play by outside rules when the state and federal governments won’t pay the bill.